Roads Untraveled
by Noble Blue 26
Summary: Hi! This is my fic that I'm working on with NiceSlytherin. Also, I owe a huge thank you to my classmates, especially FD and of course NiceSlytherin. I only own my OCs. Kala and Abby are best friends. Kala is the youngest Formula One driver ever, while Abby illustrates mangas. When Kala crashes on the track with the new Ligier racer, their lives get literally flipped upside down.
1. Chapter 1

The music booms as the girl slips through the crowd, observing everything around her. There is nothing that she does not notice. The girl slides around a group of chatting students clustered together in the doorway. She settles down at a table with her cup of raspberry tea, content just to sit and watch the antics of her schoolmates. "Kala!" Someone shouts, but that does not startle the girl.

Her classmate grabs a chair and pulls it up next to the dark-brown haired tenth-grader. "Hey."

"Hi Jennie." Kala smiles slightly. "How's it going?"

"Great! The music is _amazing_, don't you think? Oh, and we found a casino. Want to go with us?" Jennie says energetically as her friend, Sienna, pulls over another chair.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine here." Kala responds politely, inwardly scolding herself for not finding a better place to watch where she would not be interrupted.

"That's great and all, but I think that you'll be coming with us." Sienna announces, and grabs Kala's wrist. "Let's go."

"Honestly, guys. We're tenth-graders. Tenth-graders don't go to casinos." Kala sighs.

"There are lots of cute boys!"

"You know that doesn't work on me."

"Come on, Kala. And on the subject of the boys-we think that you may want to watch them." Jennie pipes up.

"And make myself look like a stalker?"

"They seem strange. They're not the normal casino type. I'm sure that you'll be able to find out more about them than we can. After all, that is what you do best, isn't it?" Sienna protests. Kala decides not to ask about how her friend knows what the normal casino type is.

"All right, fine. I'll go look for a few minutes." Kala finally caves, smiling softly.

"Yes!" Both of her friends exclaim, and jump up. "Let's go!"

"Wait just a second. I have to go get Abby." Kala states. After all, she never observes anyone without having her best friend there.

"You won't have to go very far, Kala." A smaller girl with jet-black hair walks up behind her best friend.

"Hi Abby. How long have you been listening to our conversation?"

"Long enough to be able to figure out the gist of your plan." Abby runs her hand through her short hair while staring expectantly at Jennie and Sienna.

"We'd already considered the possibility of you listening to us."

"Good. You two can lead the way and we'll follow." Jennie and Sienna grin at each other and bounce off, heading to the casino, Kala and Abby follow soon after.

"You never could turn down a chance to investigate, Kala." Abby teases.

"Look who's talking," Kala retorts.

"Oh come on. We're almost there." Abby says.

"You just walked past the casino, Abby."

"What?" Abby whirls around, surprised.

"Just joking. See you later."

"Kala!" Abby shouts, chasing her friend down the hallway. They arrive, panting. "You ready?"

"Ready." The two tenth-graders slip inside and walk along the wall, trying not to attract attention to themselves. Jennie and Sienna are waiting for them in a corner.

"So you both made it here without getting yourselves killed. Good job." Jennie says.

"Yeah. I've already calculated that the chances of the ceiling of the building in which we are currently stationed falling down on our heads is a _whopping_ 5%." Kala retourts.

"There is a larger chance that we will get squashed by a gaming machine in here than have the ceiling fall on us. Anyway, where are the people that you want us to watch?" Abby states, eager to get started.

"Over there. Don't make a scene, and we need to be back at the party by 9:45 so that people don't get worried." Sienna tilts her head in the direction of the DJ booth.

"Good. Everyone meet back at the same table that we met at by 9:45. Good luck." Jennie grins. "Come on, Sienna. Let's go over there. We'll keep them occupied so that you can watch them." She winks.

"Uh oh," Abby groans, "we're in trouble now."

"There's nothing we can do to change their behavior."

"True. Where do you want to start?"

"What about the Italian?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Hey." Both girls jump and look absolutely shocked. Nobody can just "sneak" up on them. They're always on red alert.

"Hi." Kala finally manages to squeak, wide-eyed. She is speechless. _This _was not part of the plan! The stranger has floppy black hair with a white streak and blue-tinted glasses, much like the ones that Kala is wearing.

"Ah'm Jazz, by th' way." The boy, who could not be much older than the two friends, announces.

"Kala. It's very nice to meet you, Jazz." Kala says, still surprised. _Jazz? That must be a nickname._ She thought.

"Jazz!" Somebody shouts. Kala immediately notes the heavy Italian accent.

"B'there in a click, 'Raj!" Jazz calls back. "Well, gotta go. It wa' nice meetin' ya'll. Have a good night!" He smiles, and Kala smiles back while Abby just stares. Jazz walks off into the crowd.

"Wow." Is all that Abby has to say.

_Two Hours Later_

"You know, I'm starting to not want to leave here. They are actually proving themselves to be rather interesting to watch." Kala says wistfully. Abby snorts.

"You just don't want to want to leave the Italian. I do believe that there is some saying about not falling in love with _random_ people at casinos, if I can remember correctly…" Kala punches her best friend, who winces.

"Shut up, Abby! I don't like the Italian! It's just that I get the feeling that I've met Jazz before, but I can't remember where." Abby raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, so you like _Jazz_?" Kala just stares at her through her blue-tinted glasses.

"I do believe that you have a death wish." An overly-amused voice chuckles. The girls turn around in the blink of an eye. There, leaning against the doorframe of one of the hallways, is the Italian. "I'm Mirage, but you can call me Dino." Kala punches her friend.

"Abby. Nice to meet you, Mirage. I'm so sorry that you had to hear our little… conversation." Abby finally gets out, eyes still wide with surprise and embarrassment.

"Nah, it's fine. I don't mind." Mirage winks at Kala, who stares at him, dumbstruck. "You must be Kala."

"Yeah,..." Kala stutters.

"I was wondering if you could possibly tell me how to get to the Relative Dimensions headquarters." Mirage states plainly.

"Sure. If you take me to your car, then I can program the address into your GPS for you." Kala recovers her ability to talk.

"Let's go, then. Do you like race cars?"

" I love racing!" Kala exclaims, and Mirage grins. They walk out of the Casino, talking about Formula One racing.

"Well, I wasn't expecting _that_!" Jennie smirks.

"I'm pretty sure that none of us were, Jennie…" Abby says.

Little did they know that they were all being watched.


	2. Citanes, not Gitanes

**Hi everyone! The next chapter should be coming out soon, and I am very thankful for all of the support that I've been getting! Finals are starting at my school (Good luck everyone!) and it makes my day when I see that someone has read my story. NiceSlytherin has posted a short story based off of Roads Untraveled, and I suggest that you read it. *Please note that there are slight spoilers in the story, but they do not give away much and are barely noticeable.* It's called "Abby and Jazz". "Abby and Jazz" runs in parallel to chapter three, which I am in the process of writing right now. I also have to thank two more of my amazing classmates who actually have no idea that they've helped me with this story- JG and SS! They've served as the inspiration for Jennie and Sienna, and yes-they really did stumble across a casino at a party. They are completely awesome friends who have always been and continue to be very supportive of all of my friends who are in the process of writing stories and I. Thanks again for reading and lets get this story on the road!**

"All drivers to their cars! Five minutes to race time." Kala unplugs her headphones from her iPhone 5, pausing the music. She slips the white fabric over her head and pulls on her royal blue racing helmet. Abby walks up to her friend, offering her support.

"Good luck" is all that the black-haired 10th grader has to say. Kala smiles and walks onto the track, where all of the mechanics and the owner of the team are waiting next to the prototype racer. She runs a hand over the front of the sleek Formula One racer, impressed with the beautiful handiwork.

"Remember; go easy around the hairpin, and make sure that you secure your spot before the first lap is finished. Don't get yourself into the lead right from the start, but be careful that you don't get stuck at the back, though. Anyways, just drive your drive. You'll be great." The owner gives the 16-year-old a reassuring smile and turns to walk away.

"I have a question about the racer. Isn't it supposed to be 'Gitanes', not 'Citanes'?" Kala inquires.

"You are very observant, Kala. It's true that this racer has 'Citanes' on it, not 'Gitanes'. It shows that it is a different type and make than the other 'Gitanes' you drive in practice. You'll do great, though." The owner sweeps his dirty blond hair out of his eyes as he opens his mouth to say something, but gets cut off.

"All drivers, start your engines!" The announcer exclaims, and the mechanics and team owner step back from the racer. Kala revs the Ligier's engine, impressed with its roar. The rev counter reaches 7 and then 8 as the announcer counts down to the start of the race. The Citanes bursts forward off of the line, easily passing two of the other racers in front of it.

"Easy there. You heard what boss said." Kala whispers, before inwardly smacking herself on the head. Honestly, what car can actually _understand_ what you're thinking? She scolds for her crazy imagination. The racer slows that little bit, almost too subtle to not be noticeable, but as Kala senses this minute change and her eyes widen. "You can understand me?" She asks, and the Ligier's engine rumbles as if in acknowledgement. "Wow. I get why they wanted me to race you today. Are you able to drive yourself? We've got the hairpin coming up next." Kala smiles behind her helmet.

The Citanes slides neatly around the hard turn, making a perfect arc with no help from the driver. "I swear to God that you're the coolest car _ever_!" Kala exclaims. "Why do I keep talking to you like you're a human? You're probably just some computer." The racer's engine sputters indignantly, almost like a person clearing their throat. "Alright, alright. I take that back." Kala sighs dramatically. The Citanes passes another two racers, pushing into the lead at the start of the second lap. Another lap passes in the same way, with the other laps going well. During the twenty-sixth lap, though, everything changes. The Ligier pulls up at the pit, and the crew gets to work. The tyres are changed at what seems to be the speed of light, but the Ferrari which does not need a pit stop takes the lead. Kala's racer is out of there before Abby can blink. She wonders what her best friend thinks when she's racing. Kala knows that every and any race could be her last, yet she always goes and risks her life doing what she loves to do. Sometimes she shows up at school on crutches with a broken leg or or her arm in a cast. This happens so often that Kala's classmates don't even ask her what happened-they already know.

The Citanes makes it around the first turn and is heading towards where Abby, Jennie, and Sienna are sitting before disaster strikes. It all happens so fast that neither Kala nor the racer fully register what is happening before the car in front of them spins out of control, slamming into the stands full of horrified people. There is not enough time to break, so the Ligier slams full-on into the flaming Ferrari. Its momentum flips the royal-blue and white Citanes over the burning red racer, ejecting her from the cockpit of the Ligier. As her racer shifts under her, her eyes snap open. There is nothing underneath her, and Kala begins to scream as the ground rushes towards her. She stops screaming when her descent is halted, surprised to find herself seated on a black surface.

Kala sits up, taking off her helmet. She pinches her arm to check if this it is real, which it is. "Run, _amica_." A soft voice says, and Kala gasps, recognizing the heavy accent. Another racer hits the Citanes, and she gets flung off of her racer and slams into the stand.


	3. Experiments

"You _idiot_, Mirage! What the hell were you thinking? Formula One Racing? You could have gotten yourself _and_ her permanently deactivated! You're lucky that both of you weren't hurt worse and that the Decepticons didn't run _more_ experiments on her." Kala winces at the sudden outburst, her head pounding from the sound. The 16-year-old opens her eyes and quickly raises an arm to block some of the bright light that greets her eyes, momentarily blinding Kala.

"Decepti-whats? And turn off that light, will you?" Kala grumbles, squinting. She turns her head so that she can see the people who are talking. Kala blinks in surprise as she sees not people, but instead two robots staring watchfully at her.

"Decepticons. They are sentient robots from the planet Cybertron who want to convert your planet's energy resources into energon cubes to take over the Universe. The Autobots are the enemies of the Decepticons who believe that freedom is the right of all sentient beings. I'm Ratchet, the Autobot's Chief Medical Officer. You've already met Mirage," The red and white robot standing closest to Kala says. "the Autobot's spy. He's part of the Special

Operations team. The mech behind you is Optimus Prime, our leader." Mirage smiles at Kala, making Ratchet shake his head and grumble something unintelligible. Kala smiles back as another Autobot walks around her so that she can see them.

"Hello Kala, my name is Optimus Prime. As Ratchet explained to you, I am the leader of the Autobots. You are at our base. We've had our eye on you and your friends for a while now." Optimus and Ratchet share a glance, and something passes between them that Kala is not quite sure what to make of. She is pretty sure that it is not good, though.

"Where's Abby?" Kala inquires, suddenly nervous. This can't be good.

"She's getting a tour of the base from Jazz, who's going to be her new roommate." Optimus says.

"Wait, _Jazz_?" Kala realizes suddenly. "I've met him before. Is he an...Autobot, too?"

"Yes. You are very smart, Kala. Abby has not figured out that he's one of us yet, but, then again, she hasn't spent as much time around one of our kind as you have. She'll figure it out eventually, though." Kala breathes a sigh of relief. She gets the feeling that she should trust these robots. "We do have something important to tell you, though. During the race after you took the pit stop, the Ferrari in front of you crashed. You already know that. The press was told that the racer broke a suspensory, but that was actually a cover-up. In reality, one of our Decepticon enemies was at the race. They tried to shoot at you and Mirage, but they missed and hit the racer in front of you instead, making it spin out of control. Before we could reach you, however, the Decepticon captured both of you as well as Abby, Jennie, and Sienna. They took you back to the Decepticon headquarters, where the four of you were experimented on. The Decepticons didn't experiment on Mirage, but they tortured him. We arrived at the headquarters and fought the Decepticons, who retreated, but we were too late. We rescued Mirage, who told us that they had taken you away and he didn't know where you were. The damage to the four of you had already been done by the time we found you, and Ratchet has been working on you for the equivalent of three Earth days. However, not all of the damage could be undone. I am deeply sorry that this has happened to you." Optimus gravely states.

"Wait. What happened to us?" Kala trembles. All three of the Autobots are silent for a long moment. Finally, Ratchet speaks.

"The Decepticons wanted to see if humans could be turned into Cybertronians so that they could serve in their army." The medic says, voice uncharacteristically sympathetic.

"So now we're Decepticons?" Kala gasps, eyes wide.

"No. Not Decepticons. Ratchet managed to fix that, but you are still Cybertronians and are able to transform. Unlike most Cybertronians, though, you can triple-change. All of you now can become humans, robotic organisms, and machines of some sort. Most Cybertronians only have a robot mode and a mechanical mode."

"You already have your human appearance and your robotic appearance, but you do not have your mechanical appearance yet. I've assigned Jazz to help you find those. If any of you want to talk to me about anything, I would always be willing to lend an audio receptor. Also, you can stay at the base if you want. Nobody would have any objection. Finally, if you wish, we would be happy for you to join the Autobots. Abby, Jennie, and Sienna have decided to stay, by the way." At Optimus' words, Kala sinks her head back down and begins to think.

"Thank you for giving us a place to stay, Optimus, and thanks for fixing us up, Ratchet. And Mirage, thanks for keeping us alive." Kala responds. "As for the last part, it would be an honor to be able to join the Autobots." Optimus chuckles.

"No, Kala. The honor is mine. Rest- you need it. You can get the tour of base when you wake up." Kala smiles tiredly at her new leader's words.

"Thanks, Optimus." Kala closes her eyes and is asleep within a minute.

"That went well, Prime." Mirage states, a bemused expression on his faceplates as the three watch the sleeping human-turned-Cybertronian.

"Indeed it did, Mirage. Indeed it did."


End file.
